U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell: “They were arrested while going about unavoidable, lawful activities of daily life.” Read more

by Salvador Rizzo and Emma Uber , Washington Post Published Dec. 3, 2025, 4:05 p.m. ET

The Trump administration’s escalating use of warrantless immigration arrests in D.C. this year probably violated federal law, a judge ruled Tuesday in a decision that prohibits such arrests for all migrants in the city except those at risk of escaping.

U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell granted a preliminary injunction sought by the immigrant-rights group CASA Inc. and four migrants who were arrested without administrative warrants in August amid President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in the capital. All four had pending immigration applications at the

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